Nokia 770 & 800 Non-intrusive Custom Mods

Updates

4/23 - I got a chance to try out a 800 on the rig. A few observations.

With the addtion of one screw the stand is more stable to spec with the 800 than the 770. Connecting the cables is much easier now.

The Think outside keyboard works beautifully.

The AC/DC DC/DC converter components still work the same. The mini jack is still used.

Despite accepting the flash command from flasher-3.0, USB host mode does not work with the keyboard or the USB key. :( As far as I can tell it's not my rig. I have not found any reports of USB working the same on the 800 on the Internet.

I took pictures of the 800, they will be up RSN.

Pictorial of modifications

Disclaimer:I am not responsible for the damage you may do to your 770/800 with these mods. All I am claiming is that they did not break my particular unit. Do not take any chances with your unit you can not justify on your own!
There are four major components here.

A long flexible neck stand with holes cut for recharging and USB.

A solderless powered USB hub and keyboard setup.

A bluetooth keyboard.

A modular charging system.

In addition I stumbled across a better case for it and a USB key that works (not all do)

Here is the the think outside bluetooth keyboard this broken ala bug 663 for some time in Nokia OS 2006 but is fixed in SU-18_2006SE_2.2006.39-14_PR_F5_MR0_ARM.bin. Stowaway Universal bluetooth Keyboard Model XTBT01. This costs anywhere from a hefty $90 - $140. I don't think exactly this model is available anymore but I believe this may be equivalent. This weighs in at 8.55 oz with battery and case.

Here is the Zippy Model el-620 USB keyboard with the 770 thrown in for perspective. This awesome little keyboard is 3/4 as good as my model "M" style clicky keyboard without being clicky! That's saying a lot. It is $35.99 at new egg and weighs in at 13.25 oz one of the lightest 1 piece keyboards. It's a little bigger in scale than the 770 but is very comfortable to type on, glows in the dark, and passes the denim jacket inside pocket test.

Here is my entire usb, ac, and automotive power rig. There are a few pieces to this. The important thing here is I only need 1 wall plug or cigarette lighter port for the whole setup. You probably already know this, but as reminder you need to do a flasher-2.0 --enable-usb-host-mode on your 770 befor eattempting to use USB.

This is the cornerstone to the whole setup and was a bit of a find. This is the Targus 4 port Micro Travel USB Hub UPC 92636 21633 Model ACH63US. It runs about $30 Wait I haven't told you the good part yet. The Nokia 770 is not capable of powering any USB components on it's own. You need to not only independently power your hub but to power the USB line traveling to the 770 as if the 770 was powering it itself. Many people have been soldering together a rig to do exactly that since this is not in the USB spec. The way around soldering is to buy a semi legit "Y" cable that can double back the power from a self powered USB hub, but the Targus comes with the cable! But wait it gets better. The power input on the hub is a 2.3 mm connector. Yup you guessed it, the 2mm connector on your power supply for the 770 can power this hub. Here is the downside though, the "Y" cable has only one USB "Mini-B" connector and you will need two. One for the 770 and one for the host port on the hub. Add a USB "A" Female to Male "mini-B" connector to the shopping list if you are going to use this hub. The hub and cable weigh 2.85 oz.

You probably already know this, but as reminder you need to do a flasher-2.0 --enable-usb-host-mode on your 770 before attempting to use USB devices.

Here is that converter I was talking about. The one pictured here is kind of illegitimate since it's actually a USB "A" Female to Male "mini-A" which I jammed into the hub's host port. Hey it worked! You can find a appropriate USB "A" Female to Male "mini-B" connector for about $3 This weighs .25 oz.

This is the official Nokia traditional phone 3.5 mm plug to newer 2mm plug converter. Model number CA-44. It can be had also be had for $8. This can be used with cheap older Nokia car chargers. More importantly, this will come in handy in conjunction with the next component. It weighs in at .25 oz.

This is the ultimate find for this project. The Philips Cell phone retractable multi charger. UPC: 2661603084 Model PX05006. I spotted this in a CVS Pharmacy which it turns out is the only place with this model number. It will run you $20. Unfortunately it does not come with a 2mm converter out of the box, but it does come with a 3.5. I think you see where I an going with this, but that isn't even the best part. You can plug the red USB cable directly into the AC or DC converter with the kit and power both the hub and the 770 through the USB ports. :) Then you can use the retractable component with the CA-44 and recharge your 770 directly from the hub while you work. These converters also have a major advantage over the 770 AC converter in that they are 1000 mA. The Nokia 770 supply only lists at 890 mA and visibly struggles to charge the 770, run the wireless interface and power the USB components. The retractable cord weighs .6oz, the car converter .85 and the AC converter is 2.3 oz, .15 oz less than the weaker stock AC converter (not including the cord).

When I got to see the 770 up close for the first time I realized something. The screen resolution is awesome, even up close. But how do I get the screen close to my eyes and use all that real estate up? I built a stand.

There are three components to the stand. 1. A butchered clip on desk lamp. 2. 2 tiny 90 degree angle brackets attaching a clear generic vertical blind mounting bracket. 3. An appropriately sized piece of pine wood with a channel in the top for the 770 and a hole for the wires.

Unfortunately the lamp was on clearance at Staples for $6 and I haven't been able to find it since. The model number is 13126-US and the there is another number E184412 on the base that only seems to pull up sites in Chinese and is mentioned on it's UL sticker. I went looking for a cheap clip on lamp so I'm sure you will find another if you look. In addition you can see the slide in bracket lock is screwed to the top of the flexible neck. Figure the pine and the the blind brackets might cost an additional $6 making the total $12.

You can see in this picture that the clip is pretty powerful. That helps this stand be extremely sturdy. Yet it weighs just 8.3 oz. The pine is very light. This is a good angle to see the channel for the 770.

The channel is 2cm wide and the whole bracket is 13.2cm long. You may notice the hole is off center, this is because the 770's power and USB plug are not exactly center either. The 2.2 cm hole is 5cm from one side and 6cm from the other. The blind bracket is just big enough to accommodate a hole that size.

This little cheap 16 meg Comp USA USB key works fine and comes right up as sda1 (after a mknod) when plugged into the hub. I have another 64 meg key that does not work (for no clear reason) When I figure out the difference I will put it up here. This USB key has no useful markings on it.